Eldritch and Cantankerous

I’m procrastinating working on the ghouls sourcebook by writing a post about it instead. Yes, I’m bad that way.

Nonetheless, there’s some great news about it. Sixtystone Press is thinking about making the book even longer, thus forcing me to insert more great, original material therein. I know this will disappoint those of you who wanted something more mediocre and run-of-the-mill, and I’m sorry for that.

I’ve taken your comments, plus the publisher’s, plus those of the Black Seal folks, and I’m working my way through them steadily. I won’t use everyone’s comments, but there are a lot of good ideas in there I’m working through – ghoul cults, the role of the beasts in ancient Egypt, different skill sets for different types of ghouls, expanded sections on various tomes, etc. I’m really trying to avoid the scenario where people pick up the book and say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and the only way to do that is to consider what people want and go from there.

One question was the scenario content of the book. Right now, it’s looking like three different scenarios in three different eras by three different authors. This includes mine, which already has a group of playtesters, but I’d like another, if anyone’s interested.

Another suggestion would be to create handouts – that is to say, the standard sort of document that one would find when researching ghouls, containing either accurate or inaccurate information. At the moment, however, I’m drawing a blank on what sorts of documents those would be. (Actually, I’ve picked one out which should delight those of you who read the old Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters.) Feel free to chime in if you have any ideas for this, or anything else.

Off the top of my head, the way to do ghoul documents is to take a leaf from UFO and Bigfoot sightings. Invent one or three iconic ghoul events (like the Roswell case or the Surgeon’s Photograph) that have made it into the paranormal literature and provide the relevant police reports, autopsy report (of the ghoul, not just of its victim), contactee testimony, a debunking article by a famous skeptic, etc.

Provide a “Majestic 12 Document” for ghoul lore: A Top Secret memo about “the feral problem” in the subways that repeats rumors while ostensibly refuting them, from the head of the Boston Transit Police.

A potted excerpt from Cultes des Goules, as used by Montague Summers in one of his foamy vampire books, with the whole thing twisted to justify vampire paranoia.

A happy-sappy Victorian story about “gravelings” intended to soften and domesticate ghouls, like the Victorians did with fairies.